Heart of the Scorpion
by HuesoftheMorning
Summary: RinMaki University AU - Maki's not quite sure what to think about this girl that follows her around all the time, but she supposes that she doesn't mind too much. After all, Rin is the only girl who will stargaze with her.


"Maakiii-chaan!" Maki sighed at the call, knowing exactly what was about to happen.

"Maaaaakiiii-chaaannnn!" Louder this time, and she could hear running footsteps.

"Maki-chan!" She heard the slight intake of breath as feet pushed off of stone and she neatly stepped to the side. Rin landed hard on the ground, arms outstretched, and Maki winced at the noise. It didn't deter the other girl though; Rin bounced back up to her feet with a shining smile, bits of dirt clinging to her shirt.

"Found you!"

"You sure did."

"So, so, Maki-chan!" Rin grabbed a hold of Maki's arm, dragging her down the path. "Rin found this great new ramen place that just opened up, and we should go! It's just a few blocks away!"

"I'm going to have to pass." Maki pulled her arm out of Rin's grip, shifting her bag on her shoulder and turning around. She only made it a few steps before Rin dashed in front of her, looking up at her with wide eyes.

"Aww, come on! Ramen's great, and Rin's sure Maki-chan will love it!"

"No, I'm serious. I have class in an hour, and I don't want to be late."

Rin pouted, her shoulders slumping, and Maki felt a slight twinge of guilt at the defeated look in her eyes. She didn't _have_ to decline, after all. They could probably eat ramen and still be back in time for her class.

"I..."

"Well, that's okay, nya!" Maki's hesitant apology was cut short as Rin bounced back to her usual cheerful self. "Rin should've figured that Maki-chan would be busy! After all, Maki-chan's studying to be a doctor. I guess I shouldn't have bothered you, huh? Well, Rin will see you later then!"

She ran off with a wave, but her usual skipping gate looked a little flat. Maki sighed. What a troublesome girl. She walked slowly back to her building, enjoying the sunlight and the twittering songs of the birds. Tomorrow, she'd make it up to Rin. That would be fine, wouldn't it?

* * *

"_Hiya! My name's Rin! What's yours?"_

_Maki looked up, startled, as a girl slid into the seat across from her. She had a bright grin on her face, her eyes sparkling as she waited for Maki's reply. She looked about the same age as Maki; a first year, then, but Maki didn't think they shared any classes._

"…_Nishikino Maki. Do I know you?"_

_The girl's grin grew wider, her excitement almost infectious._

"_You do now!"_

* * *

"Alright, if you just substitute this here…" Maki scribbled down the solution to the math problem, talking as she went. Rin watched her with awe.

"Ahhh, Maki-chan is so smart!"

"I- I'm not _that_ smart! Look, it's simple. You just have to follow the steps."

"No, no!" Rin shook her head empathetically. "Maki-chan really is amazing! Rin could never figure this stuff out on her own!"

Maki sighed. "Saying stuff like that isn't going to help you on your test tomorrow, you know."

"Heh, heh…" Rin rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.

"Honestly… You called me over here to help you study, and you're treating it like a joke."

"But studying's so boooring!" Rin flopped dramatically onto her back, arms outstretched. A moment later and she shot back up, suddenly filled with energy. "I know! Let's play a game! I know this really great card- ah!"

Maki hit Rin lightly on the head, frowning at the girl.

"No. We're here to study, you got that? Now come over to the table so you can see."

Rin grumbled something unintelligible, scooting over to Maki with a pout and reluctantly picking up her pencil to work on the problem. Maki watched her, chin resting on her hand. Rin's focus wouldn't last long. She'd known the girl for six months now, and if there was one thing she'd learned, it was that Rin bounced around from thought to thought like a leaf on a windy day. One moment she'd be sitting quietly eating lunch, and the next she'd be dragging Maki half way across campus to show her some inane thing.

It was even worse when it came to school work. Honestly, Maki was surprised that Rin had even made it into the university. The girl's work ethic was terrible. She didn't study, left homework to the last minute, and often fell asleep in class. That was why Maki had deemed it her duty to help Rin pass her math midterm. Unofficially, of course. She would never say it out loud, but Maki was concerned about Rin flunking out. She'd miss having the girl around.

"Hey, Rin," Maki said when she saw Rin's eyes glazing over, "I'll make you a deal. If you study hard and pass this test, I'll treat you to a bowl of ramen over at that restaurant you like."

The effect was instantaneous: Rin's whole face lit up as she tackled Maki, rubbing her cheek against Maki's like an excited cat. Maki tried futilely to push her away, sputtering complaints and protests.

"Alright!" Rin sat up with a determined expression, a fist raised high in the air. "Don't worry Maki-chan, Rin's going to ace this test!"

* * *

"_Oh, Maki-chan!" Maki turned around at the sound of her name, staring in confusion as a short, orange-haired girl bounded over to her. "There you are! Rin's been looking all over for you!"_

_Ah, that's who she was. Maki had forgotten about the spontaneous introduction in the cafeteria last week, putting it out of her mind almost immediately. University was full of weird people, and what was the chance that she'd run into Rin again? High, apparently, since it seemed the girl had been searching for her._

_Maki frowned. "What did you want?"_

_If Rin was put off by Maki's terse attitude, it didn't show in her bright smile. "I wanted to say hi!"_

"_You- you just wanted to say _hi_? What kind of reason is that!?"_

"_Ehh? Do I need a better reason? What kind of reason does Maki-chan want?"_

"_W-well… I mean, if you needed help with something, or wanted to go somewhere, or… Look, I don't know, alright! Just something more than that!" Maki turned away, playing with her hair awkwardly. Now she'd gone and embarrassed herself, great. _

"_Then let's go somewhere!"_

"_Huh?"_

_Rin bounced up and down in excitement. "Let's go to the arcade! The arcade's a ton of fun, so I'm sure Maki-chan will love it! So come on!"_

* * *

It was quiet on the roof. The wind whispered through the hot summer air, bringing with it cool relief in the midst of the mugginess. Maki and Rin stood side by side, binoculars dangling from their hands, as they stared up at the night sky in awe. The stars were beautiful, bright and shining, but something more important had caught their attention. The moon was disappearing.

The eclipse was slow, eating away at the moon in steady bites. Soon it was a quarter gone, then half, then more, until it was just a deep red disc barely visible against the dark backdrop of the night.

"Woah…" Rin breathed out, and Maki knew they shared the same tingling feeling of amazement. She'd seen lunar eclipses before, but each one had its own sense of wonder. Maki let it run through her, filling her body with warmth, before sighing in contentment.

Pulling her attention away from the moon, Maki turned to observe the rest of the sky. With the moon's light blocked, the stars shone even brighter, twinkling and flickering with untamed energy. The Summer Triangle was easy to spot; Deneb, Altair, and Vega were almost right overhead. Maki spun around slowly to see the rest of the sky, the movement catching Rin's attention.

"Maki-chan? What are you looking at?"

"The Big Dipper." She stretched her arm out to the stars, tracing the constellation with her fingers. "And if you follow the tail… There's Arcturus. Do you see it? It's the bright orange star."

"Yeah, I do! Ahhhh, it's so pretty!" Rin balanced on the tips of her toes, gazing up at the stars as if with only a little bit of extra height she could reach out and grasp them. Her eyes wandered across the sky, searching for a certain constellation.

"Ah!" She hopped in excitement when she found it, grinning proudly at Maki. "Look!

Maki followed Rin's gaze, spying the red star with little trouble. "Antares?"

"Mm, mm!" Rin nodded vigorously. "It's Rin's favorite star!"

"… That's right. You're a Scorpio, aren't you?" Antares was considered the heart of the scorpion, the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius. Rin raised her binoculars to see it better, tongue poking out of the side of her mouth as she concentrated. Maki couldn't help but smile at the display, glad to finally have someone who enjoyed star gazing as much as she did.

"What's Maki-chan's star sign?" Rin asked after a few minutes, looking at Maki curiously.

"I'm an Aries. But it's the wrong time of year to see the constellation."

"Awww, really? I was hoping to see it…"

Maki shrugged lazily, her mind once again captured by the beautiful night sky. Standing high up on the roof, it felt like the whole universe was reduced to the shimmering sphere of stars, and Maki had a sudden urge to spin and spin and spin until she was so dizzy that she fell into that endless world. Rin would act on that urge, Maki knew, and for a moment she envied the girl's carefree nature. Never caring about appearances, never taking anything seriously, just finding pleasure in every moment.

The rooftop brightened, and they turned around to see a small sliver of white appear in the sky. The eclipse was ending. They watched it breathlessly, letting the magnificence of the silent unveiling fill their thoughts. There was no need for words at a time like this. What could be said that compared with the power of the never ending celestial dance? So they stood quietly, motionless, the breeze tugging faintly at their hair the only reminder of the world beneath their feet.

When the silence was finally broken, it was with Rin's soft, sincere words, words that showed a depth of meaning uncharacteristic of Rin's usual flighty energy.

"Ya know, Maki-chan…"

"Hmm?"

"Rin really, really loves the stars. And Rin really loves ramen, and running, and cats! Rin loves a lot things, actually! But you know what, Maki-chan? There's something Rin loves even more than all of those."

Maki felt Rin's small hand brush against her own, their fingers interlacing slowly. The last slice of the moon appeared as the eclipse ended, and Rin squeezed Maki's hand gently.

"I love you the most, Maki-chan."

* * *

_Maki didn't know when it started. It could have been that first meeting, the first time Rin had sparked a feeling of happiness with her wide grin and constant energy. Maybe it was the second meeting, when Maki realized that she was important enough for someone to seek out her company. Or it could have been any of the countless encounters since then, all the times they studied together or hung out together or ate ramen together. Thinking about it, Maki could barely remember the last time a day had passed where they hadn't spoken with each other._

_Did it really matter when it started, though? It didn't change the fact that it had happened. It didn't change the fact that Rin made her laugh, made her smile. It didn't change the fact that Rin brought warmth and excitement into Maki's steady life, and it definitely didn't change the fact that Maki had fallen hopelessly in love with her._

* * *

Maki took a deep breath, tasting the sweet summer air, and held it.

One heartbeat.

Two heartbeats.

She let it out slowly, calmly, feeling her body fill with warmth. Normally she would shy away from those words, pushing all mentions of intimacy as far away as possible, but here, under the endless expanse of the twinkling stars, Maki chose not to. She felt at peace, her thoughts meandering lazily like a leaf on a river. There was no need for defensiveness, was there? After all, this was what she wanted.

So she tightened her grip on Rin's hand and felt the moonlight wash over her, and when she spoke it was with soft words that floated easily through the night.

"I love you too, Rin."

The night sky, brilliant in its shimmering beauty, seemed dim next to Rin's shining smile.


End file.
